The Daikon is taking over Portland

Posted on 9 Aug 2011

A side note: Many thanks to Biwa for introducing this delightful veggie to me.

This weeks Recipe: Overnight Chinese Daikon Radish Pickles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped daikon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, toss daikon with salt. Cover, and refrigerate until 1 to 2 tablespoons of water is released, about 30 minutes.

Drain and rinse daikon, removing as much salt as possible. Pat dry with a paper towel, and return to bowl. Stir in rice vinegar, black pepper and, if desired, sesame oil. Cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

The brief history of the Dikon according to others

Humble yet surprisingly popular! Daikon Radish (Raphanus sativus subsp. longipinnatus) is an everyday component of Asian cuisine. In fact, it is the most widely grown vegetable in Japan. You’ll find it with your meal at almost any Japanese restaurant. It can be prepared almost anyway you like, including raw, fried, grilled, boiled. My favorite by far though is having it in soup! See our recipes page for a few ideas.

Eaten raw, Daikon has a spicy taste but becomes quite mild flavored when cooked. In addition, it has an almost magical ability to bring out other flavors in the dish.

Not only does it taste great, but Daikon is also good for you. It is very low in calories, helps in digestion and is a a good source of vitamin C, phosphorus and potassium. There is even some evidence that it helps fight cancer. Check out the facts on Daikon radish nutrition and health.

The word Daikon is made up of two Japanese words: dai, which means “large” and kon which means “root”. There are many varieties grown (coming in many different shapes and sizes) but the most popular looks like a big white carrot (pictured above). Other popular names for Daikon are oriental radish, Chinese radish or Japanese radish.